Old, But Not As Old As You
by BingeMac
Summary: Draco Malfoy meets Vernon Dursley outside King's Cross Station. (Procrastination. ToD)


A/N- Hello! Long time, no post. I am working on DSB, I promise, but I'm writing out of sequence, so... yeah, I probably won't be posting again until book two is completely written. I've written the ending chapters before the ones that will be at the beginning. It's just what my brain is doing. Sorry.

This story, however, is for the Procrastination Thread: Truth or Dare game over at The Quidditch League Fanfiction Competition forum. I chose the following from the two prompts that Cheeky Slytherin Lass proposed.

Truth: Write a fic featuring your favorite AND least favorite character.

My favorite character is Draco Malfoy. My least favorite is Vernon Dursley. So, this should be fun…

* * *

Draco Malfoy's white-blond hair was losing its blond. He looked down at the boy— no, man— striding beside him on the way to the train station.

Scorpius's hair was still blond. And long. And full.

Draco very much disliked getting old.

He had been so focused on that hair that it took a moment to realize that his son was no longer close by. No, he'd run toward the gaggle of Potters gathered around a parked car outside the train station, his arms wrapping around Albus with no semblance of decorum.

Draco took a deep breath before making his way after Scorpius. Now that their boys were dating, he was used to consorting with the Potter clan… more or less.

As he approached, he opened his mouth to voice his customary greetings when he noticed how unusually stiff Harry and Ginny were standing. Ginny was holding tightly to her husband's arm, running her thumb in soothing circles over his skin. Harry himself was clenching and unclenching the fists at his sides.

Both of their attentions were focused on a little girl jabbering away to an older man, someone who seemed undecided about whether he wanted to step completely out of the car or not. He sort of just hovered there with one foot inside the car and the other one resting on the curb as the young girl chattered away.

"…and of course I'll write, Granddad, so make sure to keep a lookout for owls. Oh, wait. Mum and Dad said to have your letters sent to _them, _and they'll get them to you when they visit, so never mind about the owls. If an owl shows up at your house, it means you have mice…"

On and on she went.

Draco glanced back toward Potter and caught his eye. Potter seemed to relax when he noticed Draco's presence, which, of course, was very odd.

It was strange to see Potter stressed out by someone other than Draco Malfoy. It wasn't an unwelcome feeling to be a source of comfort, even for a moment. Draco would take what he could get.

He crossed the group until he was closer to Harry and Ginny, somewhat blocking their gaze from the girl and the old man. "Potter, Ginevra," he said in greeting.

"Malfoy, you know I hate when you call me Ginevra." Ginny frowned up at Draco, though he could see a sparkle of humor in her eyes.

"Well, I can't call you both Potter. That would just be confusing."

Ginny rolled her eyes and Harry chuckled.

Draco was perplexed. He'd never gotten even an amused snort out of Potter before. His curiosity for the strangers increased.

"So, who's the girl prattling away?" He twisted his head to take another look at the girl. She had long red hair pulled into braids and a galaxy of freckles across her nose. He returned his attention to the Potters.

"My cousin's daughter," Harry explained. "Anne is her name. Dudley's over there getting her trunk out of the boot."

Draco hummed thoughtfully. If the girl was Dudley's daughter, and the old man is her grandfather, that would mean the old man is Harry's Uncle Vernon. Draco had heard rumors about the muggle man who'd had a hand in raising Harry Potter, but he didn't know what was truth and what was simply fame-seeking gossip.

Draco watched as Dudley, a tall man with broad shoulders, finally extracted the girls massive trunk. It was as if she was taking everything she owned to Hogwarts with her. Once the trunk was settled on the trolly, Dudley turned toward Anne and sighed heavily, seeming to be at a loss for what to do now.

"Clearly the girl takes after her mother," Draco muttered, loud enough for only Harry and Ginny to hear. Again Harry chuckled. Draco beamed internally and felt a renewed urge to bounce around like a child on a chocolate frog high.

"Clearly," Potter agreed. "Dudley has never been much of a talker."

Anne was still chatting a mile a minute and Dudley chose to stumble his way toward Harry. "I— uh— thanks. Again. For, you know…"

Harry waved away the appreciation with his free arm. "No worries. I remember my first day. I had no idea how to get on the platform. I wouldn't want that for Anne. Where's Meredith?"

"Work," was Dudley's one word answer. It was followed by a very awkward silence between the four adults. Dudley glanced at Draco. "My wife's a teacher," he explained, as if Draco was waiting for an explanation.

"A teacher of muggles?" Out of the corner of Draco's eye, he saw Harry wince, but he mentally shrugged his shoulders. Draco thought it was a valid question.

"Uh, muggles? Yeah, I guess," Dudley ran a hand through his receding hairline. "Children. The, uh, non-magical kind. Though, she taught Anne and she's, well…"

"Intelligent," Draco said, finishing Dudley's sentence even though he was clearly going for a different description. Draco had been listening to Anne speak for some time now and she seemed very smart for her age. Draco was reminded intently of Granger.

However, Dudley seemed unsure if Draco was giving Anne a complement or not. He clearly was. Intelligent was a very flattering word. But Draco knew he came off as a pompous arse, even at the best of times. And he supposed his remark could have made it seem like he thought Anne was smart because she was a witch and therefore all beings without magic were stupid. He would have to say something to dispose of that assumption.

"Your wife must have taught her well." A slow, grateful smile appeared on Dudley's face. Draco realized he hadn't introduced himself yet, and his good manners forced him to remedy that situation immediately. "I'm Draco Malfoy," he said, holding out a hand.

"Dudley. Dursley." The man wrapped his meaty paw around Draco's and shook it vigorously.

"I've had so many nightmares that started just like this," Harry whispered to Ginny, completely deadpan. Ginny patted him on the cheek consolingly.

"Dad." The youngest Potter popped over on Draco's right. "If it's alright, I'm gonna go through," Lily said. "I have to go save a seat on the train for Lauren."

"I'll join you." Harry extracted himself from Ginny's grip, quivering with a sense of urgency to leave this general vicinity as quickly as possible.

"Oh no, it's okay, Dad—"

"Lily," Harry interrupted. There was a strained smile on his face as he repeated, "I will join you."

Lily bit her lip and a look of understanding crossed her face. "Okay then."

As father and daughter strode away, Dudley let out a sad and regretful sigh. Draco would not have guessed that the oaf could express such emotions in one breath. It was remarkable to witness.

"I shouldn't'a let him come," Dudley admitted. "I'm sorry."

Ginny patted Dudley on the hand. "Harry will be fine. I think he was just… surprised to see him."

Dudley nodded his head. "Yeah…" He sighed again. "After Mum's funeral, I'm sure Harry never thought he'd have to see 'im again."

Ginny glanced at Draco nervously, but Draco's face was a perfect mask of disinterest. It was an expression he'd been practicing in the mirror since the Dark Lord came to stay in the Manor.

Strangely, though, he _was_ interested in this conversation. If Harry had to make his escape just because he was in the mere presence of his uncle, perhaps there was some validity to the gossip going around about the man.

"…anyway, i'm sure it's almost time for the train to depart. I'm so excited— Ooh, do you want to come and see the Hogwarts Express, Granddad? I hear it's truly something to behold."

Ginny and Dudley flinched at Anne's suggestion. Even Vernon looked wary at the prospect. But Anne was staring up at him with such open love and hope. Vernon already seemed on the verge of caving.

"Um… sweetheart." Dudley's voice was tiny and Draco was certain that he was trying his best to waylay his daughter's proposition. But it wasn't going to happen. Draco could see it Dudley's blue eyes. If someone didn't do something quick, they'd be leading Vernon Dursley onto platform nine and three-quarters… where Harry was.

"I apologize, but the only muggles permitted on the platform are the guardians of muggle-born children," said Draco, surprising himself when he spoke up. He smiled warmly down at Anne. "That means your dad can come, but not your grandfather."

"Oh, okay." Anne shrugged and embraced her grandfather around the middle. "I guess we'll see each other at Christmas then."

Dudley met Draco's gaze and he looked all sorts of grateful for the lie. And it was definitely a lie. Any muggle could go through the barrier if they were in attendance of a witch or wizard.

A moment ago Vernon had seemed extremely reluctant to go through a magical barrier, but now he seemed indignant that he was no longer allowed. "And what authority do you have on this matter, young man?" Mr. Dursley asked Draco over his granddaughter's head.

Draco preened at the adjective and smiled viciously at Vernon Dursley who no doubt hadn't meant to give Draco a compliment. "I work for The Ministry," he explained.

(He worked in The Department of Magical Games and Sports. But Dursley didn't need to know that little detail.)

"Come on, sweetie," Ginny said, holding out her hand for Anne. With their matching red hair, Ginny could almost be mistaken for her mother. "Albus."

"Yup?" Albus twisted around from where he and Scorpius had been conversing animatedly throughout this whole scene, and looked at his mum in question.

Ginny smiled at her son and then looked back down at Anne. "Albus and I will help you and your Dad onto the platform."

"Yup," Albus repeated. "Coming Scorp?"

"Duh." Scorpius hefted his trunk and looked at Draco. "Coming Dad?"

"Go save yourself a seat on the train. I'll be in in a bit to wave you off."

"Alright."

Draco watched as the five of them made their way into King's Cross Station. Anne turned and waved at her grandfather right before they entered the building. She really was a sweet girl, from what Draco could tell. And while Vernon seemed fond of his granddaughter, Draco couldn't help but feel that he had stopped completely loving her when she started showing signs of magic.

It was the unfounded rumors rearing their ugly head again. He'd heard that Vernon Dursley despised Harry's magic, had treated him like a house elf growing up, had put bars on his bedroom window and fed him scraps through a slot in the door.

Most of that had to be false, right? If it were true, Draco wasn't sure why he had remained behind to be alone with such an awful man. Perhaps he wanted to confirm that the rumors were genuine.

Dursley cleared his throat uncomfortably. Draco glanced at him sideways, the picture of perfect serenity.

"I feel like I see the Potters every other day now," Draco said, sighing as if it was a great inconvenience. In reality, he quite enjoyed their company. After Astoria's death, he'd fallen into a deep depression and the Potters were… fun. "My son's dating Harry's son, you see."

Dursley looked disgusted by the statement. Clearly the man was not good at hiding his inner most feelings. He hadn't been trained by wizard aristocracy to keep his emotions internal, like Draco had.

Now Draco just had to find out which part of his statement had disgusted Mr. Dursley.

Or perhaps he should be asking which part of the statement had disgusted Mr. Dursley the _most._

If the rumors were to be believed any mention of Harry instantly soured Vernon Dursley's mood. Draco had decided that at least this one piece of gossip was proving true.

Dursley made a disgusting hacking noise in the back of his throat and grumbled, "It's not true, is it? About only guardians on the the platform?"

"No." Draco laced as much venom in his voice as he could muster. He had no idea what this man had done to Harry Potter growing up, but even if half of what the rumors said were true, Harry's Uncle did not deserve another moment of a Malfoy's hospitality. "I'm just protecting Potter."

"Ah, yes. You people are always protecting that _boy_."

Draco felt a bone-crushing sadness at the reminder that he had once upon a time been someone who didn't do everything in his power to protect Harry Potter.

But _boy?_ _Boy?!_ Draco was filled with rage at this man's audacity to call Harry a boy with such derision in his voice.

"That _boy_ is a grown adult with a lovely (and scary) wife and three amazing children." _Two _amazing children_,_ he corrected himself, thinking of the always infuriating James. "And that _boy_ saved the world by beating the most powerful wizard in history, a man who almost killed him when he was a baby. So the least _we_ can do is save _him_ from another minute of _your_ terrible company."

"How dare—"

"You know," Draco interrupted, leaning in close to Vernon's ever-reddening face. "I used to hate him. I thought him my arch-enemy, and was conceited enough to believe that I was his. Ha! How foolish I was to believe that a schoolboy rivalry was anything compared to true evil like Voldemort. But _you!_ I hadn't known that the great Harry Potter had grown up to feel worthless until long after it might have mattered. Harry Potter had no shortage of enemies, of people who wanted him dead. But make no mistake, Mr. Dursley. Harry may have been fated to defeat the Dark Lord or die trying, but _you_ are the villain in his story."

Draco righted himself, and pulled down his waistcoat. It was time to take his leave of this poor bastard before he made some vague magical threat that would do nothing but add fuel to Vernon's fiery rage.

"Well then, I'm going to see my son off for his last 'first day of school'. I hope to never meet the likes of you again."

And with that, Draco left a fuming Vernon Dursley spluttering inelegantly behind him. Draco halted mid-step about half-way to the doors of the station and twisted around once more.

"Oh, and Mr. Dursley?" Draco waited a beat before proceeding. "If you ever make that granddaughter of yours feel anything less than the perfect witch she is, I will personally be knocking on your door."

Draco grinned as he spun on his heel and headed into King's Cross. He couldn't leave without making one tiny, little warning. That was just the Malfoy way.

He felt like he was eleven years old again as he crossed the barrier onto platform nine and three-quarters. Only this time he was friends with Harry Potter… sort of.

* * *

A/N 2- Yes, that character is an "Anne with an 'E'" reference. It's my favorite show of all time and I will be your best friend if you agree.


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